The Conclave
by BaconBits905
Summary: Sehira and her company of mercenaries were ready for another job. Keeping the peace between the tense mages and templars. She was ready for anything to stop the meeting from taking place, extremists, dragons, but she never expected this. My version of what happened with my Inquisitor and the Conclave destruction. Please go easy. This is my first story and I am a delicate flower.
1. Chapter 1

_Green lights burn into my eyes, stone flies ahead, above. Terror shakes me, unnatural, not right. No time to look, you need to leave. A mountain is in front, behind is more darkness and dread. A light emerges at the tip of the mass, a window, door. I race towards it, ready to escape the magic choking me, filling my chest, my head. A screech fills my ears, clicks and scuttles follow. Head turns to see…no. She's there, alive. They all are. Mother, father, Bruche… little Selene. They hate me, I killed them, my fault, those precious to me…_

 _They run, blood staining their clothes, their hair, their skin, their eyes. You need to leave. Boots skid off the slipping rock, they fly like dragons in the night's sky, tears reach my eyes filled with a thousand emotions returning. Leather gloves reach potholes in the stone, muscles strain but don't falter from the effort, they can't climb well but they are gaining speed. Head snaps back in front once more, a silhouette reaches my eyes, human, woman, a green aura surrounds her figure. Hand extends to reach mine, straining, pushing, can see fear etched in her twitches. You need to leave… I reach my free hand, nearly touch, then pain._

 _Fiery hot licks of agony trace my palm, ripping skin and flesh and blood and bone into emptiness and magic swells to replace. No, not magic, get it out, make it go away. Ignore the tears, ignore the screams, ignore the pleading words, just make it go away. PLEASE… Something pushes, pulls, I cannot tell. Can finally taste the air, full of fire and death but it is not magic, not unnatural not tainted. Strength fades, legs wobble, the pain swirls everywhere but my throat is dead, dry and cracking. Vision starts to fade, wait, bodies running towards, please, don't kill me, no more magic, please, no… more…_

* * *

After many hours of blurred dreams and fading words, Sehira started to wake. Pain wretched every bit of strength away and she had no weapons on her or in the sheaths mounted on both shoulders. That alone would have caused serious panic, but being in cold chains sent her into small gasps, trying to calm down as much as possible. Her eyes darted around to see her prison, the only sign of fight left in her. Men with helms and full armour that shined like the sun surrounded her with swords raised to address her… in fear? Their tense posture and a young one's shakes held no doubt for that possibility, but why? Nothing went wrong, no trouble was caused by her blade. Unless…

Sehira quickly raised her hands to check the palms, ignoring the men coming closer in response to the sudden movement, and instead focused on the mark buried in her hand. Her leather glove was nearly blown off, the strong thread once connecting the fabric and hide together now lay swinging in the slight breeze of the jailroom. Blood covered the surface with bits of charred skin still strewn over the green, pulsating, _thing_ that nearly made her faint once again. It was rimmed with a dark green, crystal like texture that seemingly ate away at the grey skin and flesh it was imbedded in. The swirling mass was an inch thick, running the length of her palm from the middle finger. It was slightly transparent adding to the horror, making the carnage of the missing bone and flesh from whatever was now eating away her hand only just visible in the faint light. It took all of her willpower to not scream out loud at the wound, but she couldn't stop herself from breathing faster and harsher that before. With nothing to do but sit and stare, she waited for whoever held her captive and prepared to demand a removal of the scar, the mark, the _thing_ , even if it killed her.

A creaking door soon sounded through the silence that had gathered, raising Sehira's head towards the newcomer. Two women, both human, strode into the room with an air of authority and questioning frowns. They were stepping with such speed, it was almost more terrifying than the chains. When they reached just a metre in front, one of them broke off, moving around behind with iron steps echoing in the small space.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now." The one at front began. _She must be a seeker, according to her armour choice._

Confusion wormed its way into her mind and face from the threat. They had been invited to keep the peace, it was openly declared once they'd arrived. _What crime has she put me under?_

"The conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is _dead_ …except for you."

Sehira nearly gasped at the information now found, instead resorting to widened eyes and an open jaw, silently wishing this all to be a bad dream and waking in a ratty bedroll with dawn light reaching thought the trees.

"What do you mean?! By the Maker, they can't be dead…"

The seeker ignored the panic she was openly showing, instead darting her armoured glove towards her own, the one that was ripped apart.

"Explain _this_."

At that moment the mark flared to life, emitting a small burst of green light that shone upon the woman's face in an eery glow. Sehira couldn't distil the feared gasp that threatened to tear itself into panicked sobs, but the wide eyed hysterics were bubbling close to the surface and showing in her eyes.

"I…can't"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU, _CAN'T!?_ "

"I have no idea what that thing is, I don't even know what happened!"

A blur of skin and leather snatched her shoulders with a tight grip, fingers digging deep into the cuts exposed and hitting nerves of pain. Sehira just held back a cry of pain and instead scrunched up her face and gritted her teeth against the waves of agony.

"YOU'RE LYING!"

The woman behind her quickly responded, dragging the frenzied warrior off with a calm force that shook Sehira to her core. 'We need her Cassandra' was all that she had to say to calm the warrior down. Murmurs were exchanged between them too quiet to pick up on, but Sehira wasn't trying to hear their conversation, instead having silent mumbles of fear for her men and the people they were paid to protect.

"All those people… Maker's breath, how could this happen… everyone was fine, no fights were even threatened… what didn't we see?…"

Her eyes were on the floor in a blank stare when she was slightly shaken out of the dull trance, facing the warrior woman with a calm look on her face unlike the one possessed some seconds ago.

"Please, what happened? I need to know if my friends are alright, my company..."

Cassandra's face twisted into a small frown, uncertainty rough along the edges of her eyes as she helped the weak woman up from the cracking stone. "It… it will be easier to show you."

Stable and clear-headed, she stumbled on in front of Cassandra whose hand gripped comfortably on her shoulder, in part to guide and in other to keep the suspect still. Sehira understood with respect, even thought the nerves underneath her skin hadn't. All the guards that surrounded the walkway outside stepped back with fear, some even gasping in horror, at the Qunari murderer in chains. Sehira didn't spare a thought, already expecting that sort of reaction from the ignorant humans who nearly always kept their distance. Cage after cage she passed with some unease at the lack of commotion and dead silence that covered her footsteps, but it was blocked out by the animalistic instinct of escaping the captors that would send her to death without a second glance back.

The next corner they narrowly passed soon started them towards the little doorway that had light leaking through ever crack in the rotting wood and iron. Sehira drank in the light of a freezing day, swallowed the smells of charred meats and spices mixed with damp snow and prepared to start running through whatever came in her way. A guard standing watch at the door moved to open it with shaking arms which made her bite down an eye rolling at the young man that could be mistaken for a farmer's boy, with gangly arms and a tan face underneath his stringy black hair. When he opened the rusty hinges and let in the bitter cold of the Frostbacks, Sehira prepared to run, but didn't even get a step when she saw the sky torn asunder.

The once dull grey blue colour was now smothered by a sickly green that reeked of unnaturalness, veins of dark green spiralling out of control from the massive hole in the sky. The gaping wound assaulting the previously calm day was thick with a dreadful feeling, as if emotions could kill. Rocks the size of houses tumbled in the green cloudy mess like it was dangled from an invisible string and at the sides were swampy green crystals so like the ones eating away at Sehira's flesh and blood. She could only gape at the chaos ensuing in the stormy sky, helpless in front of such a foe. Cassandra's reaction was more stable, barely containing a sad frown and instead going for a determined look that Sehira easily saw through.

"We call it the Breach. A tear in the veil leading to the fade, with demons pouring out every minute. And it's getting bigger…"

The 'Breach' gave a large sort of crackle in the silent morning, nothing too frightening, if Sehira's hand didn't suddenly react to it. Searing pain shot up in her palm with a similar crackle as the one that pierced through the air moments previous, but this one was accompanied with a cry of pain. Tiny chunks of bone were eaten away with no difficulty as the magic flowed to fill the missing pieces, entering marrow and veins and nerves… Sehira stopped thinking about it before she emptied her stomach in front of everyone, and instead held on to the shock and buried it deep.

She breathed in deeply to calm her racing mind but it was no use as nothing could calm her down after seeing _this._ Cassandra quickly lifted her by the arm but made sure to not cause any extra pain, a small but appreciated gesture. Just from that brief confrontation Sehira's muscles ached and a deep pressure was building in her head, making blood flow freely from her nose. She ignored the copper taste and steadied herself on the snow ridden path.

"Every time the Breach opens further, your mark spreads… and it is killing you."

Sehira tried to keep the same face, to show no fear in front of the stranger, but she was struggling to keep herself together at the new revelation. If Cassandra noticed her breaking face, she made no comment and instead led her through the crowds of scared people to the gates leading away from safety. The people may have been scared but that didn't take away their bite, hurling insults at the enemy captive and even throwing nearby rubble. The debris that did make it didn't leave any mark against her stone skin, already sharpened and strong against these sorts of assaults, but Cassandra still tried to get the crowd to stop.

They didn't listen and some brave souls even started threatening Cassandra herself, calling her an _ox lover_ and a traitor to her people, as if she has some sort of obligation to the people that happened to share physical traits with each other. Sehira knew if she were in a similar situation, with such treatment being given to her escort, the people would be pleading to silence. So they kept walking to the guarded bridge and thankfully the crowd did not follow, letting Sehira release a held up breath of worry that didn't help in any way to the tension built up in her muscles and thoughts.

Screeches soon pierced the frenzied cries of the people as they moved further away from the camp, sounds Sehira knew all too well as the scream of a demon and their ilk from the fade, with sharper cries than the muffled ones in her dreams. Before thoughts spiralled out of control again, she threw her attention back to the bridge of stone with snow lingering in the cracks and the human, Cassandra, leading her towards the green mass in the sky. She soon slowed down at the edge of protection from the guards, pulling out a dagger and quickly slicing through the rope binding Sehira's hands together in a fluid motion.

"There will be a trial" she heard Cassandra say against the snapping wind, voice now calm and steady. "But I can promise no more."

Sehira's arms flopped to her side, weak from the time spent without food or water and from the captivity so long in motion. She rubbed at the sores gathered by metal and rope, soothing the angry skin as best as she could. Blisters were already beginning to form in the red mess and a tingly feeling soon descended into her fingers. But she was alive. She was alive and breathing and maybe useful to clean up the mess of a thousand dead. _If I am to be dead soon from this mark, I may as well be useful. I can help._ So Sehira set out with Cassandra, no questions asked, ready to take the enemy by its horns. Ready for it to fight back, but to be defeated against the woman with nothing more left to lose.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Thank you for reading my second chapter! For all those people who read it between the 07/12/15 and the 09/12/15, apologies to the giant mess this was in. I fixed it up, hopefully so everything is A ok now!  
I really want to say I love all of the people that have taken the time to read this story (it probably looks like mashed potatoes without the delicious taste) and I especially love WolFang1011 for the bewtiful review you sent (It made me feel like a pwincess :3) and KelseyHeart for favouriting and following this, you's two's really made me feel awesome!  
Aside from that, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

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With a screech of pain, the shade quickly fell from the iron sword, more or less beaten to death by the blunt edges and fended off with a cracking wooden board that snapped with every blow. With the last one dead, Sehira felt her shoulders relax and her heart stop racing. Snow blown by the winter breeze washed against her leather boots, soaking through the weak hide and becoming squishy with every step taken. She couldn't be bothered cursing about it, her normal armour was probably burnt to a crisp from the explosion. At least she had something to wear, instead of finding some chainmail too short.

"So, you're a Tal-Vashoth?"

Sehira snapped her head up from her feet, forgetting it wasn't just Cassandra with her now. Looking back to Varric, she saw a satisfied grin on his face. Like he already knew the answer.

"Vashoth. No fault on your part, everyone makes the assumption." A small smile — very small smile — entered her face for a second. "My parents were though."

"Ahh. That does explain the accent. Are you —"

"Fereldan? Yes. Sort of. And I can tell you all about my lovely personal life right after we stop the world from falling apart, yes?"

Silence followed in a less than awkward fashion, no one willing to input much to the conversation. Sehira knew how she sounded, but right now in the blasted snow and in the middle of demon infested lands she couldn't care less for such manners.

The demons in question were now apparently gone, finished when they left the snow encrusted stone and jumped into the crater that once was the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Charred corpses littered the blackened ground like red stones upon a path, and the ever present scent of flesh turning to brittle flakes sent Sehira's senses in disarray. Varric, Cassandra and Solas seemed to have similar reactions, probably thinking the same thing; what the hell could have caused something like this, and why would they want to?

"This is were we found you." Cassandra quietly said.

Sehira took in a shuddering breath at the thought of waking up in the middle of _this._ It was already haunting to see it clear minded, she didn't even want to think how it would look with delirious thoughts.

"By the Maker." Sehira turned back to look at the seeker with hopeless eyes. "There truly was no one else with me when I came through? Not a single soul?"

Cassandra gave a small shake, letting Sehira take the absolute and probable truth in as much silence as possible. Bruche was dead. Nayrie was dead. Most, if not all, of her company was dead. Every possession she has ever owned besides the clothes on her back was burnt up. She failed the one job she was given and failed it to a fashion where she could have ended the world and not even have known. If defeat wasn't already shoved down her throat enough over the years, then this really does the job.

She sighed at the depression in her mind and at the waste of life in front of her. They didn't need another show of the damage caused, or to be reminded the possible culprit is standing beside them.

"Come on, we can give our prayers once we return in safety."

Moving further into the blackened ruins, a feeling of unease settled like the smell of the air turning foul before lightning strikes. Sehira knew the others felt it too, it would be quite impossible not to unless you were a drooling idiot. Heat began stirring even though a blizzard was storming the Frostbacks, the dark pillars of stone curling around them had glowing veins singed into the cracks, even the 'rift' hanging above seemed more menacing than before, snarling and spitting green blasts of magic all around the mountain. Or maybe it was because the mark was beginning to get really painful really quickly.

Rubbing at the thing slightly soothed the sharp pins, although the very sight of it again made Sehira's stomach drop. Now she was connected to it, what ever the hell it is. Something that caused so much death and destruction now had its grip on her and scarred her just like any infested cut that would never heal. And of course it had to be fucking magic no one could understand. Might as well have gaatlok strapped to the hand with a long fuze.

Twisting and turning through the maze of rock, red stone soon shoved in the path. A hiss from behind made her step back from the glowing red mess, not ready to get close to it from the sound of that warning. Turning back, Varric was the one with the disgusted look, one of surprised hatred mixed together.

"What is it, Varric?" Sehira questioned.

Varric gave a short grunt, not taking his eyes off the red stuff, like it would grow legs and scamper away. From the haunted look, he probably believed that it could.

"Red Lyrium." He grumbled in reply. "Seeker, what's it doing here?"

"I… I do not know, Varric." Worry edged Cassandra's stoic response, the tension not bothering to hide in her expression. Solas however held curiosity in his gaze, not afraid of how those beside him reacted to the lyrium. He still had the sense not to touch the stuff however, just opting to study it from afar.

"Red Lyrium?" _What's got them so scared about a bunch of lyrium?_ "Care to explain, Varric?"

Before Varric got a word out, Cassandra beat him to it, with a, "we don't have time for this right now" calmly spoken out, the only satisfaction Sehira got from the question. She knew Cassandra still didn't trust her, but the seeker did have some sense in her intrusion. They were running on short time, and the longer they dallied about, the more soldiers got skewered by a set of claws or crushed by a toppled building.

Varric sent an apologetic look her way, but didn't say anything after that, probably not willing to get even more under the nerves of Cassandra than he already was. Sehira couldn't blame him. That woman had an explosive temper.

The _friendly_ banter between the two of them was cute in its way but obviously getting tense under the current disaster, not that it was probably any better before the Conclave. They reminded Sehira of Bruche and Nayrie, how they—

 _Don't think about them. Don't._

Sehira passed the 'red lyrium' as carefully as she could while trying to not get anywhere near it. The slight buzzing and unnatural smell was enough motivation for her. She saw Varric cringe as he passed with as much space as he could without climbing a discarded boulder, while Cassandra and Solas just kept their distance, ignoring the slab of red. Shivers went up her spine as she turned heel towards the spiralling rift up ahead, with heat lingering on her back even after a solid minute of walking away.

Even though the lyrium was out of sight, the unease in the crater doubled for Sehira. The glowing veins in the rocks and the heat of the area felt suffocating from the intensity, with charcoal overwhelming her nose. However the _best_ part is how the mark and its reactions were getting more and more unsettling with the pain and pressure forming in her skull. Sehira gave a quick shake of the head to clear whatever was happening and left it at that, ignoring anything extra popping out.

The walk to Leliana's group was the same as before the encounter with the red stuff, just not in thought. The lyrium, no matter what it really was, had something to do with this and that feeling Sehira got just from _passing_ didn't give much hope with the entire situation. Sure, before it was a pretty bleak disaster with little to nothing in answers, but now actually _knowing_ something like that red stuff was connected really put Sehira's hairs on end.

Less than a minute later a cowl of purple and iron greaves came into sight, holding an intricate bow with a matching quiver and an unmistakable air of leadership over her people around her. They were nearly upon the Breach and the rift that dangled below, close enough to feel some pressure from the magic being held . Cassandra called out to Leliana when approaching, drawing the archer away from her charges.

"Good to see you made it. My scouts made it back though the mountains, yelling praise for a certain Qunari that drove the demons back." Leliana said in her accented voice, turning with thanks to Sehira.

She stiffened at the gratitude, the memory twisted with the rift they sealed when up in the mountains. The demons were horrible but fine, the scouts were injured but fine, everything was bad but fine. But the rift…

 _She raised her hand, buzzing, prickling sensations, a glowing tightrope between the rift and woman. Yips and shouts, the scout captain's words ringing in the background. Then a hand clasps around her mark. The tugging, an invisible arm gripping her bones, dragging her to the twisted place, the Fade. Her heart exploded, eyes bulged…_

 _And then it closed, the green glow gone, her boots once scraping the snow finally stood still, shaking uncontrollably. Solas meets her eyes, a look, worry or nonchalance? Neither? But he knows, he will always know…_

She tore the memory away and gave a slight nod with a small smile to Leliana, not bothering to use her voice when nothing would have come out. Thankfully she accepts just that, turning to Cassandra for the plan of action. Solas is the one that spoke up, stating they just need to open the thing by the ground, re-seal it and the Breach should be gone, along with the rifts nearby. It may also bring some demon interested in the commotion they will make, just to make this bloody 'sealing the breach' thing even harder.

But what other choice did they have? If her hand wasn't so magicy, Sehira would have began stabbing the rifts for a reaction. With Solas' plan — of opening the damn thing and then just closing it back up — ready for action, they left Leliana to set up their positions of support in case something nasty was waiting on the other side, and began moving through the narrow passages to the rift.

* * *

"Now is the hour of our victory."

Sehira jumped at the sudden voice booming above, instinct bringing her hand to the sheath on her hip. Looking up showed nothing but empty space, and from the looks of Cassandra's shock, Varric's surprise and Solas' concern, Sehira knew that just wasn't in her head.

"What the hell was that?" Sehira nearly shouted.

"Could that be the person responsible for all of this?"

"I don't know, Cassandra. I don't even know what that was."

"Memories." Solas chimed in. "The Fade bleeds into this place."

Even though the voice was apparently gone, Sehira kept her hand to her hilt, more for comfort than anything else. The glowing rocks have been more bright and frequent and the pressure she felt from atop the cliff face has only grown to the point of a small buzzing inside her head and a heavy weight against her shoulders. No more 'red lyrium' stuff came popping up, to the huge sigh of relief from Varric, but that didn't soothe Sehira's feeling to the ruins.

"Bring forth the sacrifice." _The deep voice again._ "Someone, help me!"

Sehira's head snapped up from the cry of aguish, the raw terror of the woman's voice staying with her as it echoed through the ruins. Cassandra gave a strangled rasp only a second later.

"That's Divine Justinia's voice!"

"There is still hope, she could be alright." Sehira said

"It may be a small chance." Solas responded.

Sehira gave Solas a glare at the raw answer, to which he just shrugged and gave her a look, as if to say 'you know I'm right'. Sehira sighed at that but didn't continue any further.

They finally reached the Leliana and her support, already across the edges of the crater and above the ledge Sehira was standing by, and the pressure that lingered by Sehira's head now felt like her mind was being pressed together by boulders. She felt more blood trickle from her already bloodied nose, gaining the attention of Solas and his ever curious gaze. She quickly wiped it away and left the matter forgotten, instead focusing on the big glowing mass in front of her.

It was even more imposing up close. The luminous background that was just behind her an hour ago now looked like it could swallow her whole, the crystal edges like jagged teeth scraping against each other as it snapped and yowled. The unease didn't settle well in Sehira's stomach with the empty feeling tempting her to chuck up whatever she ate in the last day.

 _Well, now or never I guess._

Sehira raised her palm to the green teeth and looked back to Leliana for her people to be ready. All the archers by the sidelines had an arrow strung by their rough bowstring, while the few warriors hid behind Cassandra and their shields with a dull sword or mace. Leliana led the archers with a pinpoint aim and strength underneath the buckles and gloves she wore, giving a slight nod covered in a fearless look. Varric and Solas shifted to flanking points by the Breach, Varric readying Bianca with a sharp click and Solas weaving a humming barrier around himself.

Taking that as the go ahead, Sehira began unravelling the rift.

Trying to forget the last rift.

Keeping her hand as steady as possible.

Scrunching her feet in place to stop from being dragged into the Fade, with demons and _them_ and…

"What's going on here?"

She gasped, or more choked, when she heard that voice. Her voice. Her _own_ voice, coming from the Breach. She looked up to see an entire scene playing out, a shadowed figure with red, glowing eyes lumbering over something that resembled Divine Justinia. The Divine was up from the ground, struggling against some sort of invisible grip on her arms. Another figure stood a distance away, walking towards them with a cleaner leather coat than Sehira wore now.

No cuts on her dark lips or cheeks, no blood smudging her nose. Her dreadlocks were tied up neatly with a simple leather band instead of the mess they were in now. But worst of all, her hand was clean. There wasn't a glowing scar that pumped her veins full of magic and Maker knows what. She held back a small sob at the last detail.

"What's going on here?" It said again.

"Run while you can! Warn them!"

The mimic's face twisted into surprise and fear at the Divine. The shadow snapped his head to the mimic, the red eyes turning to slits.

"We have an intruder." It lifted a clawed finger to a shocked Sehira. "Slay the Qunari."

Sehira's mind reeled when the figures faded to the wind, trying to dig through her mind to just _remember_ what happened next, but looking to the Breach she felt the grip of magic leave her hand as it lost its strength, knowing she needed to stay on task. All her focus went into holding herself back in place and pulling the Breach open, like a tear in fabric, she ignored Cassandra's questioning words and instead readied herself to move away from whatever jumped out.

She gave a sudden pull to finish the job…

And a strike of lighting blew her back from the Breach's opening.

Sehira's boots skid across the snow and soot, sliding back from the Pride Demon that began crawling out with a gurgled roar. The exposed head was the only thing fully through the opening, leaving the archers a clean shot for a precious few seconds before the arm finished its entrance.

"Now!" Leliana yelled against the Pride Demon's snarls.

The taut bow strings twanged in the air and two arrows left the demon blind on a certain angle. The yowls of pain filled the entire ruin as the demon tore the arrows out with little care. A chunky mess of black liquid ran down from its eyes and into its gaping jaw as its legs came stomping through, the Breach slivering closed behind it. Some late arrows flew by, but they didn't get very deep into its bulky arm as it shielded its face against the onslaught.

A whip of lighting suddenly grew into the demon's claws and it racked through the archers at the lower points of the ruins, leaving some scorched corpses and others flying over the side with the warriors. It gave a horrid parody of a laugh at the twitching bodies before turning its attention to Sehira and the others in its crater.

Sehira lifted her new sword from its sheath and ran forward to its legs, hearing Cassandra follow close by with the warriors meekly running along. The archers fled to the growing shadows with arrows shooting through the blackness, avoiding Sehira with scant inches.

"Come on! Come and get me!"

The demon gave a grunt as it slashed its whip across the battlefield. Sehira deflected the shot out of the way as she jabbed her sword into its thigh with all of her strength, tearing through boney skin and staining her face with black fluids. A swipe from the side knocked her down as Cassandra got her own stab into the exposed flesh.

The demon roared as it thrashed wildly around its foot to throw Cassandra off the weak spot, getting a long slash across her arm and the sound of a small crack around the torso before she began moving. The men behind her tried stabbing for the other leg, but their lack of skill at dodging a demon's claws was evident as they were shot back as soon as they came into range.

Sehira jumped back into the fray, going for the other leg as Cassandra twisted and weaved to avoid any broken bones. Every lash against the demon just bounced off with little damage done, nothing like the strike she gave before when all of her strength was still apparent. Licks of fire leapt past her shoulder and scorched a swinging arm while crossbow bolts split the skin easier than normal, digging themselves into the cracking armour.

"Solas, go for the legs! Varric, the eyes!"

Sehira took another strike of electricity on her shield as tingles shook her arm, launching back as the demon reached for a second hit. A small squishing sound forced the arm back with a harsh screech. When she looked, Sehira found a tiny prick of a bolt lodged in one of the eyes and heard a whoop of triumph from Varric. Another random thrash came from the demon as it tossed Cassandra and most of the support across the snow to the other side of the crater, missing the already downed Sehira.

A savage cry came from her as she dove straight through the remaining men and right into the flame-coated, thick leg. She could feel the snaps and crunches when the dull sword pierced the skin, the vibrations of the howls that rose from the demon's throat. Pulling the sword further across, Sehira tore through the limb and prayed the weak blade squealing under the force would stand after this attack.

The boney flesh split apart with a fountain of wet, crunchy 'blood' that soaked through Sehira's armour and scalp, the weight of the liquid like oil and poison against her skin that spoke nothing of the smell.

It fell with little grace, nearly squashing Varric as he inched his way closer and instead landed on a very sharp looking boulder by the torn rift. The leg was bleeding profusely as it stained the ground, but the bloody thing was still swinging its arm and whip anywhere it could, even if nothing but herself was in range.

Before the demon could stand, Sehira avoided the whip and jumped up on its scaled back, sliding her shield to a clip on her back. It tried to shake her off but she held tight while practically climbing up the damn bastard as it began to get on its shaky and destroyed legs. The shakiness gave Sehira a sly smirk, knowing that it won't be walking for any time soon as it barely kept itself straight from the limp it garnered.

Sehira saw Cassandra and the warriors make a move on the legs again, letting the demon have a distraction while she tried to get herself stable. The wobbling really wasn't helpful for her stomach either. Gripping a spike by its head, Sehira gripped the sword and prepared to strike.

By its shoulders, Sehira made a jab for its head. The sword didn't get very far as the blade rebounded to its front with little more than a chip on the bone. That drew the demon's attention as its massive claw came crashing down on its 'occupied' shoulder. She twirled to the other side using its neck as a grip while getting a large cut down her spine through the weak fabric and iron she wore. She gritted her teeth against the pain and instead gave a wild swing to the back of the neck, putting both arms to the blow.

The sword slid through some of the skin with surprising ease, getting finger deep into it as more black blood slid down to the hilt and through Sehira's gloves. She yanked it out as another sharp hand came across its shoulder. Shouts and gasps came from below as she went back to the other side and shot the sword through.

From the exclamations of some soldier and a cheer from Varric, the blade went the entire way. Sehira could also tell from the yowl of agony and the desperate throat clawing from the demon. She tried to pull it out, but had to jump away from another attack. Still holding on to the sword, Sehira leapt to its back while tearing through half its neck, much like the leg before it.

To Sehira's adrenaline filled mind, everything went silent in those last few seconds. Time slowed and the fighting stopped as the only opponent on the battlefield was brought down. The demon's head wobbled slightly as it tried to right itself, but gravity won in the end as it flopped forward to its chest with small snarls still coming from its mouth. The black ooze Sehira had so accompanied herself with made a grand return, spewing from the near stump of a neck all over its shoulders.

Sehira tried to jump off before the demon fell to the ground but her boots slipped on the way down. She gave a yelp as she dropped unceremoniously, banging her rear end on the hard, sludge filled stone. Nothing but her pride broken, she scrambled away from the demon before it crushed her. The large thump behind her and the loss of the snarls that came from the demon set her shoulders down with relief.

 _The bastard is down._

Sehira slowly got herself off the ground, checking for any other injuries besides a dozen scratches and a maybe broken finger. Minor bleeding by the back, leather and iron damaged in back area, mild pain in the left foot, right knuckle broken. Other than that she was lucky to be standing after that fight with the equipment available.

With everything cared for, Sehira walked over to see to the others' wounds, and to the dead. Cassandra seemed okay other than a few scorch marks against her armour and a tender touch she kept with her leg and ribs. Varric and Solas were fine, only adorning a few shallow scratches because of their distance away from the demon and Solas's barrier that sprung up at times. Leliana was without a doubt a crafty one, with no sign of any physical battle being upon her. But she held a troubled look for the others that weren't so lucky as herself, a look all to familiar.

The archers and warriors were another matter. The men and women up top took some loses from the first whiplash and a few lighting strikes, but the worst wounds weren't lethal for any of them. The warriors had taken the most hits and the least deaths. Some couldn't take a blow to the head and lay scattered around the area, while others just dropped from blood loss in the centre. Breaks and lashes were common enough to be a problem and some wounds will be lethal without treatment.

She knew she couldn't do much for them, not without some supplies. She left that problem to Cassandra — already forming a concentrated frown on wrapping a bandage to one man's eye and torso — and instead moved back towards the Breach. Sehira didn't want to deal with it again, the grip and the feeling of entrapment, but she could feel the wishful eyes on her back, the similar gaze of hope from Solas and interest from Varric. Better yet, she was stronger than this. The damn Breach wouldn't send her running now, not after climbing up a fucking _Pride Demon_ and taking the head.

Sehira stretched out her arm, shaking out the muscles.

She positioned her feet and legs into a clean patch of stone, away from the puddles of demon blood and soot covered snow.

She flexed her hand and wriggled the joint, pointing the mark to the Breach and feeling the magic connect like ropes tying together.

...

The grip was lighting fast, snatching away the calm Sehira gathered in those few seconds. A gasp rung from her throat as the magic pulled away her arm through the air. It jerked and spasmed, shocking the nerves and numbing the shoulder and began to drag slightly, enough for Sehira to notice. She tugged her arm back with her spare hand, the invisible rope coming back in her favour. A far stronger tug made her teeth grind in pain and her feet slip closer.

She wasn't winning with this rift, the hold she had on the rope slippery and and her strength was waning fast. Her feet dragged slowly through the snow and to the sick green glow of the Breach. It wavered and snapped, closing and opening like a door in a storm and much more deadly to an approaching hand. Sehira darted her eyes around for any help from her allies and slowed her erratic breathing, calming her heart that felt as if it had crawled out of her chest.

Pain sprouted from the pulling, the shoulder joints feeling as if they were being smashed and torn apart. Muscles bulged, tendons pulsed and cold sweat formed on her Sehira's brow, the pain increasing to the point of agony. She was sure her arm was slowly being dislocated as metal and leather scraped against the snow and stone while once again soaking in discarded black blood.

Sehira felt shakes rack her legs, unable to stop the grunts of pain or her face scrunching up against the cracking shoulder or her teeth pressing together so hard they hurt. She focused on her own strength and blocked most of everything out. Sound became distant and shouting voices became mumbles as Sehira's ears pricked up to the crackles of magic. Her hand gripped the green rope once again and pulled with everything she had, the shuffling sound of feet stopping for a moment and Sehira's eyes slivering open to see the Breach snarling and frothing its green glow, fighting to stay alive.

 _Stay shut you fucking thing!_

Sehira roared as she heaved the weight, feeling a break in her shoulder and the waves of agony that followed a second late. As the hissing stopped and the light faded Sehira felt the ties being cut, the little connections between her mark and the Breach fade away and the adrenaline that had built up quickly drained away to a drip of energy.

Her mind disconnected and her body fell faster than the drop of a hat, the pain of landing on her injured and most likely dislocated arm numbed against the massive ache of everything on her body. It was almost comforting, if she wasn't alive there would be peace and serenity, but the cloud of numbing agony and feeling of dread still hung heavy on her.

Blackness soon engulfed the silhouettes crouching down, but not before a final thought wormed its way into Sehira's mind.

 _If they still think I'm guilty after this, heads will be rolling._

 _._

 _._

 _._

* * *

That's the end, what did you think? If you liked it, please just say something, or even if you didn't like it just say anything to make my life in isolation from society seem like a good choice. As a last note, have a fantastic day wherever and whoever you are, and may you always have bacon on your side!


	3. Chapter 3

"Urgh, my head."

She really needed to throw up somewhere. And to get a warmer blanket. And a better bed, one that didn't threaten to break her back. Or at least one that didn't break her back anymore than it was already.

Everything was hurting. It was freezing cold. The smell of her dirty armour was fresh on the other side of the room.

But she was alive. Heart beating and everything.

Suddenly a stir in her stomach came up. Sehira sharply turned to the side to hurl off the side, when her head was yanked back to the wood — "Shit!" — and the bile coming up in her throat was swallowed as fast as possible. Sehira let her hands wander behind her head, feeling the patterned horns on her head dug into the cot and a harsh headache starting to fully take shape.

"Maker, kill me now." She mumbled with a curse.

Staring at the ceiling, memories started unfurling with crisp clarity. The Pride Demon, the Breach, nearly getting her arm yanked off. The lingering pain in her shoulder could confirm the last thought. So, where was she? Not the ruins that she last saw, but a rickety shack with snow falling through a few holes in the top and a small candle weakly burning its wick to ash.

Sehira gave a pull from the wood to get her horns out, rolling her head side to side and back to forward to loosen the grip. Every few seconds she had to stop, get a quick breath and continue, completely aware of the tiny amount of strength she had left and the ache of everything, everywhere.

One last pull sent her head shooting forward with small wood chunks flying out. A spark of pain quickly shook her head and her vision became blurry and crooked. She hissed at the sudden feeling that was coming back, leaning over until it went away and slowly moving her legs off the edge of the cot to the stinging cold ground.

The fiery welts and blisters that formed from the battle cooled from the frost travelling up her feet, the patchy socks doing little to nothing when protecting against winter weather. Her shoulder ached as the familiar pain pointed to dislocation.

Almost instinctively, she pulled the limp arm into the socket with gritted teeth and shoved in in with a large _crack_. Moving the limb was still stiff and sore, but better than flopping against her side doing more damage to the joint.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sehira snapped her head from her arm to the squeaky sound coming from the door, to see a trembling elf with a small box in her hands and a look like she was caught pinching goods. The box quickly dropped as she tried to scramble through the door, instead tripping over a discarded stool and landing on her rear end.

"Please have mercy m'lady. I am but a humble servant!"

"It's alright, you can calm down." Sehira said, trying to keep her voice steady as the shock from the sudden noise passed.

"Lady Cassandra would want to know you've wakened. She said at once!"

"Uhh, where is she?"

"In the chantry. At once she said!"

The elf quickly shot back up as she jumped over the chair and tumbled back outside, ignoring Sehira's thanks or confused look.

 _Well, no time like the now._

Gently moving her legs up, she stood on wobbly feet while holding the rim of the end table. Getting steady, she quickly walked to the darkest corner of the room and hurled whatever was still in her stomach. Her throat burned as the bile came back up and she ignored the dizzy feeling coming to her head, trying to get rid of the sickness she felt in her body. She knew it was the thing on her hand, but the thought of maybe getting rid of it, that it was just something that could go away over time was enough hope she needed for the day.

Sehira gathered the casual clothes that sat by the table in the middle of the room and quickly dressed before the cold stiffened her muscles any more than they had. The grey, buttoned tunic and breeches were just about the ugliest thing she had ever seen, the 'pyjamas' looking like they were a last minute resort for her horns so she wouldn't destroy the clothing. They were rather comfortable though, so with a pair of gloves and some heavy boots added she slightly limped after the girl, keeping her arm secure without banging it on her side or the small amount of furniture around her.

The last thing Sehira expected was the large gathering around the tiny shack and the silence that smothered the crowd to a dead quiet.

A cough. Shuffling of feet. The sniff of a shivering man.

She kept her hand on the door's handle, standing still. Not believing the sight. Not understanding it.

She slowly walked down the steps, passing the guards with heads bowed and passing the scratchy looking people, talking about the strange Qunari that saved them all. 'The Herald of Andraste' circled like a flock of vultures, swooping down for any news to feed the suspicions and the myths, information on herself and the personal life that was now the public's.

Sehira's skin itched as she made her way to the largest building in the forsaken 'town' they were in, covered in chantry cloth that shouted 'look how important I am' to her head. Sehira never though she would end up going into one of these buildings that towered over every town she passed, but after the last day, or week, or…

Either way, she really couldn't have been surprised by this outcome after the shit that has been pulled over her head already.

Entering the hall was surreal as all sound and most of the cold evaporated to the intense calm of the towering room with wisps of incense snaking around the pillars. Nothing but the muffled argument at the end of the walk penetrated the silence and the scattered chantry sisters praying for salvation and hope were just another part of the atmosphere.

Sehira's hardened leather made small smacks against the carpets as the heated debate separated only by a slab of a door began to rise, the chancellor's snappy tone and Cassandra's sharp voice lunging at each other like rabid dogs. The word 'qunari' tore through the loud discussion and thankfully Cassandra defended the man's bitter talk.

Sehira didn't bother to put an ear to the door, instead entering with a chin held high in defiance.

Cassandra and Chancellor Rodrick we the only ones talking as Leliana stood to the side, obviously tired of the pursuing argument. The two of them went silent as the chancellor's red, puffy face whipped to the door and sneered when he saw Sehira entering the room.

"Chain her!" He ordered the guards manning the door. "I want her prepared for travel to the capital for trial."

She sighed through gritted teeth as the guards unsurely shuffled to her side, looking to Cassandra before they made a move they regretted. Cassandra gave a short breath as she gave a gesture to leave the room with little patience held in her face.

"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." He spat.

"Same with you, Chancellor." Sehira retorted, speaking in a calm, 'matter-of-fact' voice. "She was the one that saved thousands of lives on that mountain, while you tried to shove the only hope of victory under the rug."

"Because you could have made it worse! You killed the Divine, and yet you lecture me!"

"Enough!" Cassandra roared.

The chancellor took his cue and quieted to a painless glare in Sehira's direction, something she ignored with little effort.

"The Breach is closed, is it not? Or am I still being sent to the chopping block by our favourite man-in-a-dress?

"The Breach is stable, but not sealed." Cassandra said. "And you are not being sent off to your execution, not after what you have done. For now the people are safe, but for however long, we do not know."

"What we do know however," Leliana piped in. "Is that there are much more likely suspects to the for the explosion of the conclave. Most likely someone most holy did not expect." Leliana cast a stare to the Chancellor.

Roderick exclaimed, turning his furious gaze to Leliana. "I, AM A SUSPECT?"

"You, and many others!"

"But not this, qunari savage!"

"Hey!" Sehira snapped. "I have a name, I'm not some crazed mercenary!"

"Enough!" Cassandra shouted. She gave small sigh of frustration as Roderick glared at her with shaking anger, something that looked strange with the chantry robes hanging heavy on his frame.

"I heard the voice in the temple." Cassandra calmly said. "The divine called to her for help."

"So her survival and that _thing_ on her hand is all just a coincidence?" The chancellor retorted.

"Providence. The Maker sent her in our darkest hour."

It took a few seconds for Sehira to comprehend that statement. _She_ was sent by the maker? No, that's impossible.

"Woah, woah, woah. You must be joking." Sehira looked at the two that had their shit together, shocked when their faces were silent but agreeing with that conclusion. "No no no, I was only at the wrong place in the wrong time, nothing looking down on us would think I was anything more than that."

"Whatever you think, I will not pretend you weren't exactly what we needed, when we needed it."

"The breach remains, and your mark is still our only hope of closing it." Leliana said as Cassandra left her side to the shadows of the room. "It-

"That is not for you to decide." The chancellor spoke with gritted teeth.

A smack on the table beside her made Sehira jump as Cassandra looked over to the man in robes.

"You know what this is, Chancellor." She said, pointing to the book she dumped down, eerily staring up at her with the singular eye and sword against the leather and metal.

"A writ from Divine Justinia, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn." Cassandra moved away from the table as she stalked to the retreating Chancellor. "We will close the breach, find those responsible and restore order, with or without your approval!"

Roderick tried to keep a stony expression, but from Sehira's personal experience with Cassandra's gaze when she is pissed off, she could tell he was already thinking about launching himself through the door.

He instead left with a weak, last-second sneer and slammed the door shut so it reopened to his march out of the chantry, ignoring the sisters watching his retreat in shock.

Sehira closed the door softly as Cassandra sighed a shaky breath and leaned against the wall.

 _She looks exhausted. She must have been dealing with Roderick for some time._

"We aren't ready." Leliana breathed out. "We have no leader, no numbers, and now, no chantry support!"

"But we must act now." Cassandra looked up to Sehira. "With you at our side."

Suddenly she wished she stayed in that small shack for a little longer. She rubbed her face as she looked up to the ceiling, concentrated on the cracking stone and wood to calm down from this proposal.

"I guess I'm already dead if I don't accept. Alright, I'm in.

* * *

Sehira wiped sweat away from her shoulders as the blacksmith's forge licked her back with its comfortable heat. She leaned down to inspect the sword in her hands, checking for any chips left forgotten from the whetstone. Only a small amount of jagged pieces were left and small enough to not be an issue.

The iron and leather grip sat snuggly in her palm and the blade was smooth to the touch. Running her finger across the edge showed the sword was in good quality as she wrapped the finger in a small cloth to stop the bleeding and wiped the blood off the sword with the snow around her.

Sehira stood up and swung the weapon around, testing the weight and speed. It moved in a blur and felt as light as a feather, exactly what she was going for. She could see from the corner of her eye the blacksmith eyeing the craftsmanship with an upturned brow, only ending up giving a small scowl and returning to his own designs.

Finishing the sword, Sehira now had her set as she picked up the shield at her feet and shifted to a battle stance in her new armour. The armour in question was as simple as she could make it, with an iron breastplate,  
leather by each shoulder and knee while everything left was covered up with a light chainmail. Hardened druffalo hide made up the gloves and some of the boots, keeping the left over iron as some great kicking power on the tips of her feet. All of this was hidden by her large leather coat that was left at haven before the Conclave explosion.

Sehira sunk back to her seat and took in the coat, its feeing, smell, anything. All of it reminded her of home, Bruche and Nayrie with Ash nipping at her heels, and life before it got complicated with magic, conspiracies and demons. Sehira thanked the maker for the small miracle of finding some treasured pieces, like the coat or her mother's pendant. Even that damned lute.

She still remembered Cassandra with that small frown, sympathy written all over. Knowing that was it, all that was left in Sehira's old life. She was still numb to it all, just expecting the shock to fully kick in any moment.

Waiting until she finally broke.

...

* * *

Chapter 3, said and done! Please do comment something if you like it or if you don't, I can take some criticism. _Constructive_ criticism, pls don't be meanies. Have a good day/night/? and may you always have bacon at your side! :)


	4. Chapter 4

The Revered Mother dropped like a sack of wheat as the templar shook his hand to get rid of the blood on his knuckles and stepped over the cowering woman to the Lord Seeker's side. Sehira didn't need to have second thoughts as she jumped up to the platform to help the sisters and brothers surrounding their leader.

"Stay still, Revered Mother. That man may have broken your nose."

Footsteps sounded behind Sehira from the Lord Seeker's direction, before a sharp growl stopped the help from coming as the steps meekly returned back. The regal command made her face scrunch up from habit, like with every snobby noble with such a voice. From Cassandra's report, Seeker Lucius was a decent man with honourable intentions, but that assumption had all but dried away from the presentation they were giving.

"I'm sure this pleases you greatly, _Herald_."

"If it did, would I be treating your wound?"

"Humph."

"I didn't think so."

The woman thankfully remained silent as Sehira checked for how much damage the asshole did. Luckily the nose wasn't broken but rather just hurt enough to be bleeding. It was probably just bruised quite mildly. Reaching into her coat's pocket she grabbed a small amount of emergency bandages and wiped the excess blood from her nostrils.

"Just keep the cloth at the bleeding point and it will stop over time."

The Revered Mother gave a quick nod and a quiet thank you to Sehira's retreating figure. Getting up she could see the Lord Seeker scowling dead set on her with a concerned looking templar by his side and a dirty looking man that bore the order's armour but none of the spirit.

"Lord Seeker."

Sehira tore her gaze from the man to see Cassandra approaching with apprehension rightly given. He chose that time to retreat down the steps of the platform with his head high and ignoring any passersby that scrambled back from his stride.

"Lord Seeker Lucius," Cassandra repeated with more strength while trailing behind him. "It's imperative that we speak with-"

"You will not address me." He almost snarled.

"Lord Seeker?"

"Creating a heretical movement, raising a _puppet_ as the 'herald of Andraste', you should be ashamed!"

Sehira raised an eyebrow with little care for the bitter tone, one that was already wasted on her by the man-in-a-dress back at Haven. If all such leaders of the Seekers of Truth were like the pompous ass, it made her think on why Cassandra was a part of it. Sure, she may have began as a young, cocksure woman who was blind to all of the bullshit shown, but why stay after such displays? She sure as hell wouldn't have.

"What are you doing then?" Sehira asked. "Abandoning the chantry and leaving to begin a battle that will only cause more death? Abandoning good men and women that scramble in fear for help?"

"The templars are doing their divine given duty." He barked. "While you snivel and hide amongst blood mages and demons, ignoring their blight on the world, you only leap like ravenous dogs to snatch power from the chantry. You are too late to appeal to _them._ The only destiny that demands respect is _mine_!"

This was the man that led the order?

"You have shown me nothing, the Inquisition, less than nothing! Templars, Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection, we march!"

With that he spun on his heels with an army of templars following suit, leaving from Val Royeaux with a bang and a frightened empire in the aftermath. Already sullen looks from the surrounding merchants and horrified gasps from the masked men and women were let loose as the company were out of earshot.

"Charming fellow, isn't he?" Varric drily chimed.

Cassandra shook her head to the ground, thoughts running on her face. "Has the Lord Seeker gone mad!?"

"I don't know. But I'm not surprised about the bloody templars following him. They've got their heads stuck so far in the dirt, they would probably kill an innocent if ordered." Her voice dropped to a mutter. "They might as well have for abandoning the city." She looked up to the White Spire that stuck out in the distance, empty of mages, and now templars. It would probably continue being empty for some time, no matter if the circles return to full force.

"There must surely be others in the order who don't feel as he does." A tiny bit of doubt lingered in Cassandra's voice.

Sehira couldn't hide the unsure look on her face. "Maybe. I guess I just am speaking from personal thought."

"You do not like templars it seems."

"No Solas, I just don't like idiots. However it so happens that their order it filled to the brim with such people. Unfortunately."

To her surprise, Solas, the straight faced mage, laughed.

"I agree, though in far less colourful words."

"Glad to hear."

A small grunt of annoyance quickly sounded as Cassandra stepped up though the two of them.

 _"Don't be so quick to discount the good templars have done_."

"But, Seeker, that gets rid of the fun."

Cassandra let out a disgusted sigh as Varric just grinned away and Solas watched with a quirked eyebrow. Sehira sighed and began to prepare, to prepare for a long, long day.

 _And so it begins..._

* * *

Val Royeaux. The grand city in the heart of Orlais. It was without a doubt allowed to hold that title, the pure white stonework and organised vegetation that sparsely grew upon the buildings shining in the light. Smells of sweet fruits and fish wafted through the air with only a hint of sewage and rubbish hiding beneath, the people oblivious to the simple pleasures of the city. The evening's sun was also very comfortable in the slight winds that washed through, making Sehira raise her coat's sleeves a bit to take in the stable warmth. It struck her skin with a soft tap across her arms, like the yellow in the sky was backing her steps.

But even though she knew she stood in a picture of beauty, she still longed for the open fields of Fereldan and the savoury tastes and smells. They just felt more, real. Bittersweet would be the word, to love the new places but still cling to those old memories. That didn't discount to the fact that the sprawling landscape took her breath away and would continue to do so, it just still left the bitter aftertaste of homesickness in her mouth.

And like most parts of Orlais, there were many threads beneath the surface. Only a half hour into exploring the city and already two leads for vastly different purposes were presented for the Inquisition; a salon held by a Madame De Fer and some tracks on a hidden and dangerous underground force that's coming after them. She would have been impressed if more information was given instead of a title and a few dirty red pieces of fabric.

She knew the salon would have to wait, more because of personal preference than the second lead being a danger to the public if true. But if Sehira knew what would happen on the way to the map's location, she would have been at the salon first with no complaints made.

The map leading to the 'baddie' was insufferably vague, even more so because of her lack of knowledge on the huge city. Moving through to each building and statue was grueling work and only after asking a dozen locals for directions they began to get some bearings. The heat earlier was all but gone as, with the wind picking up and forcing her sleeves back down while Varric gave a quick shiver in the cold. So of course Cassandra and Varric didn't waste any time to rile up each other when the comfortable silence reached their ears and the sun was retreating into the low horizon. Turning back to Solas with a cringe, she luckily found a sympathiser in the trip, with his slow, long breaths and sunken brow staring at the ground.

By the time the warehouse on the map came into view the moon was slowly coming out to the dull pink sky and thankfully the bickering had died down. Sehira heard the chimes of bells, the three strikes that signal the 'baddie' being in place. She couldn't be happier that they actually made it in time.

The tiny run down area was rather inconspicuous in the darkening passage as the small handful of passersby scrambled back to their homes. They held little more than a lingering glance to the peeling paint and chipping wood, looking rather strange compared to the perfect buildings surrounding. Sehira didn't buy it.

Opening the door was incredibly smooth that betrayed the snapping wood of the door, meaning the hinge was oiled quite recently, probably to make a quiet entrance. Sehira began to ready her muscles, just knowing there was some people in there that did not like intruders.

A snap in the shadows put her hairs on end as she jerked her hand to the hilt at her belt. Looking further in she could see crates scattered randomly around the courtyard while a balcony loomed over head, completely normal. Except for the men and women that moved around the area. And from the blood that was smeared across the floor and their sheathed weapons, they were not friendly.

"Varric, you take the corner in the shadows behind the crates. Solas, slowly spread some ice on the floor and be ready to withdraw it. Don't give me that look, it's not that hard. Cassandra, you wait with me."|

Sehira waited for the small patches of ice to smother the ground and the cold to make its way to the guards. She heard the soft footsteps of the dwarf move behind a crate in the corner and the telltale click of Bianca sliding out of her holster. Cassandra kept quiet in a half crouch, eyes analysing the field with a cold stillness in her muscles that could keep up for hours.

The grounded guards lazed on the creaky crates, completely oblivious to the approaching ice that slipped on the stonework. They just silently chatted with fluttering eyes or were asleep completely. The ice didn't reach the archers above, as they just shook their heads at the carelessness of their lower half. Sehira looked to Varric and gave the signal. 'Take the archers, quietly'. Quick thunks and gurgles were followed and had taken out four of them before an alert scream woke the rest up and started the battle. Sehira kept still and waited for them to start running towards them, to slip on the thin sheen of ice that sparkled ever so slightly.

"There they are! It's her!"

"Ah! They've iced the ground!"

"They got Cesi!"

"Idiots! It's gone! Get up!"

With the ice gone, she charged into the fray. Cassandra ran to the archers rushing for their weapons while Sehira went for the warriors in the middle of the field, with no cover. Varric took two more kills as they scrambled to right themselves from the withdrawn ice and then it was all over when Sehira's sword was drawn.

The blade dove through their armour with such ease, all four of them were dead on the ground with little more than a small struggle left in their poses. Running up the staircase to the remaining archers was just as fruitless when she saw Cassandra driving her sword through the chest of a nasty looking woman with a recently broken bow. With everyone dead, Sehira sheathed her dripping sword and attached the shield onto her belt, shaking the blood off her gloves and boots with a firm flick.

Before she could move to the doorway leading further in, a quick glimmer caught her eye as she passed some of the fallen men. Looking back to it she caught herself choking back a gasp. She recognised that symbol underneath the crimson. The small metal patch of iron that swung lazily off the man's belt from a loose bolt. With the three coins, dripping to the ground.

 _Are they just back to haunt me? Is this the Maker's idea of a sick joke?_

Sehira breathed out a small curse before turning to Varric crouching beside her. "Mercenaries."

"How'd you figure?"

She ripped off the stained symbol, the slick blood making the metal extra slippery. "Look at that crest. It's the Red Coppers. I've seen these bastards before, not very talented but they're like rabbits. Never running out of fresh blood. I wonder who thought hiring these people would be a good choice."

"Heh. I guess this guy didn't do his research."

Sehira chucked the wet mess to the side and shook the surprise out of her thoughts, hearing the clank of metal rolling down the stone steps as she made her way to the door. Muffled shouts and flashes of orange surfaced from the door's hinges, but silence quickly snuffed out the sounds and left the blue wood dull in its cracking colour.

She decided against trying to sneak past this problem as the very probable angry threat was behind the door. And she wanted some answers for whatever was happening in there.

Opening the smooth door and seeing a twiggy man at the other side, not attacking, was a good start to her plan. Just a second before he threw a fist full of fire to her face.

Sehira didn't have time to raise her shield so she rolled to the side, getting it out as she crouched to the ground to avoid another shot. The heat sindged her neck and scorched the wall behind her while a surprised sound came from the attacker.

"The Herald of Andraste!" The thick accent exclaimed. "How how much did your Inquisition have to expend to discover me? It must have been immeasurable!"

 _So it was going to be one of these sorts…_

"Maker take me now… we don't even know who you are! Don't flatter yourself." Sehira groaned.

"What?! No, I'm too important to be an accident! You-"

A quick thud brought his attention away. Sehira snapped to the sound and saw an elf woman with a bow at the ready, pointing to the masked Orlesian.

"Just say, what."

He made a dismissive pose, like he was bored with the very real threat directed to his stupid face.

"What is the-"

 _Thunk. Gurgle. Thud._

Sehira blinked back her surprise. He was dead. On the ground. It only happened in one second, with no dancing around the problem. It was incredibly refreshing.

"Ew!"

Sehira looked back to the elf that was moving towards the corpse, looking for the arrow that split his throat. She was slightly humming as she dusted some dry blood off her face, like it was completely normal to do so.

"Squishy one, but you heard me right?" She suddenly said, turning from the body. "'Just say what'? Rich tits always try for more than they deserve."

She kneeled over and shoved his face to the side, finding the arrow deeply entangled in the nerves of his throat.

"Blah, blah, blah!" She yanked the barb from the flesh, getting more blood on her outfit. "Obey me, arrow in my face!"

She quickly stashed the shoddy thing in her quiver and tried to smudge the crimson off her leather with little success. She just shrugged and turned to Sehira with a little grin.

"So you followed the well enough, glad to see you're-

The woman went silent for a bit, looking Sehira up and down with a little dumbfounded expression before having a small giggle again, only it was more an awkward laugh, like she was caught doing something she shouldn't.

"Wow. You're well fit." She cleared her throat and threw her eyes darting to the ground for a second, before looking back up. Sehira could have sworn she saw some colour in her cheeks. "I mean, I h-heard about your kind, seems different."

"I mean it's all good, innit. The important thing is you _glow._ You're the Herald thingy."

The name once again shook her back, but she swallowed it down underneath the questions bubbling up.

"Can you just tell me what the hell is going on? Getting led on by some red fabric isn't really the best way to convey that."

"No idea, my people just said that the Inquisition should look into it." She quickly spared a glance to the mutilated corpse by her back, her expression completely neutral to the body. "I didn't know this idiot from manners."

"I'm Sera this is cover, get 'round it. Some more of poncy face's buddies coming." She stifled a giggle as she sputtered the last bit. "They've got no breeches!"

Sehira could only raise an eyebrow before a shot of ice flashed by and a snarl from some two hander by the gates in the shadows. Cassandra moved to the other staircase going upwards while Solas raised a barrier around them all. Varric shot anything moving from the edges of Sehira as she rushed to match the two hander.

And they were very definitely missing their breeches.

She gave a small laugh as the bulky man, armed with a giant sword and plated armour blushed at his missing pants, going tomato red in only a few seconds, the embarrassment worse than the underprotection. Luckily the embarrassment made him an easier target as he didn't move around much in case his knickers went down as well. A quick roll to his side and a stab through the ribs let him down as she leapt up to the retreating archer by her side.

Before she could strike, an arrow magically appeared in his shoulder and neck. He shuddered and fell face first into the ground, blood pooling around his head. She ignored the shock that suddenly came up and went for the next opponent.

It went like that for little more than a minute, the small force unskilled and stupid, trying to take an enemy much larger than themselves. Add to that the mysterious 'Sera' with her bow and unknown agenda that took out her fare share of targets and they didn't stand a chance. In the end, less than a quarter of them ran off vowing revenge. Sehira would have taken that threat to heart if the man didn't have his bits swinging in the breeze. He was even in front of the moon in a menacing silhouette... with his bits swinging in the breeze.

Add to that, they're the Red Coppers. They couldn't get revenge even if there were a thousand of them.

The elf woman must have been thinking the same thing as she laughed at his retreating figure, giggling and pointing with a giant grin plastered on her face.

"That was a good tip, no breeches!"

"So, Herald of Andraste, hmm. Real strange one. I'd like to join."

"Alright, slow down a bit. Who are you people?"

"I'm not people, but I get it. It's like this. I sent you that note to look for hidden stuff by my friends. The Friends of Red Jenny, that's me."

"Ah, ok. Yeah that makes more sense. You're offering some good rep with the little people, that right?"

"Yeah! You're good, normal people look stupid at the simple things, even after I say it to them. So, you need people or not? I just wanna get everything back to normal."

"Ok, if you can carry your weight, you're in."

"Yes! Get in good with the people before you're too big to like!"

A Red Jenny joining a large, religious and political organisation. That was something Sehira never would have predicted in a thousand years, and that meant this 'Sera' was not just there because it was a 'strange one'. Still, Sera was a fun person so far. Or at least her way of dealing with people was straightforward. She could work with that. Although that was still in question for the rest of the Inquisition, and poor Josephine.

* * *

Arriving back at Haven was a rather strange return. Rather than meet with the chantry 'leaders', they met with the massive force of templars abandoning the city and were approached by the leader of the mage rebellion with talk of an alliance. And they left with two more people accompanying them; the elegant mage, Vivienne and the fun-loving archer, Sera. Add to that The Iron Bull and the Bull's Chargers that had offered help as soon as she made it to the chantry for a quick chat with Josephine about one particular person joining.

Even though the chantry folks were probably still terrified of a qunari Herald of Andraste, Sehira still considered it a victory. With two strong leads for help against the Breach, she had more than she expected.

Only, who would they go to? The templars, or the mages?

Sehira pondered that while she met with The Iron Bull, while searching the Storm Coast for Inquisition forces, while just smelling the salty sea air and enjoying the cold water that stung her skin. And she was stuck with what was the most logical and what she wanted.

She didn't want to approach either side at the end of the day, as both sides have the same problem of having too many idiots in the same room. But magic? Mages getting near the Breach, the _doorway_ to demons? No matter how many people say mages don't consort with demons, no matter how many kind people she meets bearing magic, no matter how much she wants to trust these people, that small, tiny, nagging suspicion will _always_ be in her mind, like an insect buzzing by her ear.

But they have offered talks, offered a chance of alliances to stop this beast of a disaster. The templars are on the opposite end, not willing to separate themselves from killing the very people that want to help. Siding with the templars would be a longer process and would maybe not even work, so it was either a personal discomfort on her part or more time the Breach spits out demons onto Thedas.

Mages.

Templars.

...

"The templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-"

"Pure speculation."

"You two, calm down." Sehira said. "Both sides are equally helpful. I think it's just a matter of who will be more willing to help."

"That is true." Josephine piped up.

Sehira took a quick sigh, a small hesitation before letting the words tumble out of her mouth.

...

"So I think we should go to the mages."

"I-"

"Commander, they have offered to actually talk. The Lord Seeker has done the opposite of that. I have no doubt there are good people in the order, people that want to help, but right now the leader of the mage rebellion has extended a chance of help. We need help and we can't wait any longer for that help to come."

"I... do see some reason with that plan." Cassandra reluctantly said, obviously not agreeing to full.

He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a little sigh. Sehira really did sympathise with Cullen, being pushed out of his comfort zone with such a violent shove. But they needed to look at this logically, even if personal issues were being thrown out the window.

"Alright, Herald."

"Leliana, send some of your people to meet up with the Grand Enchanter and get established. I'll be there soon after." Sehira gave a short nod, a 'we're all done, you can go now' to each of them with a stiff neck and drooping eyes.

Sehira took a moment to lean over the war table and rub the exhaustion out of her eyes, hearing the small, quick footsteps of Josephine and the long strides of Cullen and Cassandra. Looking back up nearly made Sehira jump out of her skin, as Leliana still stood with her arms tucked behind her back, looking straight at her.

"A word?"

"Uh, sure. Go ahead."

"My spies have picked up the location of a warden travelling the Hinterlands, goes by the name of Blackwall. If you pass his way, it would do well to figure out if he knows about his missing brothers and sisters."

"Just the one? Are you sure?"

Leliana gave a small nod. After the investigation in the Storm Coast, looking at the journal entries of one such warden and their search for a rogue brother, it was troubling to find no one at the end of the trail. She tried to keep optimistic about finding at least a single warden when they could have had none, but it was still disheartening that such a huge order was gone with little left.

"Ok, I'll try to find him. Let's hope he knows something about this mess. Thank you."

With that Leliana left with almost silent footsteps and tiny metallic clinks of her boots, letting Sehira have some silence in the empty war room.

She dropped into a spare chair almost instantly, savouring the release of her muscles and the time to think in the relative silence of the chantry. Exhausting couldn't even begin to describe the scope of what they were planning to fix, the simple life of travelling and mercenary jobs becoming sweet ideals to work towards rather than to live. Working with the mage rebellion after the ordeal they had helped put to southern Thedas with the templars and the natural fear of such things would be the tipping point in the destruction of the Breach, even with the support they were given by some vying powers. And securing such decisions tore apart her already sleepless nights.

She couldn't even imagine how it must be for Cullen with his troops, Josephine with her politics and Leliana with her hidden forces. She already knew how it was commanding a company, but not an entire army, and politics and spies never really clicked when she lived off the land. She was out of her element, and yet she was asked about her opinion in these earth shattering choices.

She couldn't even read properly, and yet her voice somehow held weight with these people.

Leliana, of course, found out about the 'reading issue' so each report was with big letters and simple words when possible. It made her feel like a child, and yet truly humbled at the extent they were going to for her own sake.

Sehira gave another short breath, kicking off the chair and making her way out of the chantry. The moons were already slashing the night sky and the tavern seemed ever more rowdy in the distance. She fancied a drink, a very big drink, to help sleep come. So she descended to the loud, bitter smelling spectacle that was taking place. It wasn't exactly crowded but more filled with the loudest of Haven that could be as obnoxious as five people.

And she really wasn't surprised to see Varric at the head of it.

There he was, a mug in one hand and his other emphasizing his loud words, surrounded by plenty a drunk soldier or sister who listened intently for a single word to come out of his mouth. It was almost as if their eyes were sparkling with awe. She passed his table with a small smile at his endearing audience and got herself some ale, making sure to listen out for Varric's story.

"The Darkspawn mass surged on the King's army, leaving our young Carver in a state of panic when reaching his family. But the Champion was prepared, smart and clever as she tossed him a pack and sent him to her sister and mother."

Sehira spat out the ale she nearly swallowed at hearing 'the Champion' come from the storyteller. No one spared a glance as she rushed to the table with eager eyes.

"You knew the Champion? Hawke?!"

Varric's smirk was all she needed to pull a chair at the side and listen to the extravagant tales, and to ignore the people that moved to the side for the larger than life, Herald. She just wanted to hear a story, not to give them a speech and pat them on the head.

"The Champion was always thinking fast, an apostate has to to survive. And the Darkspawn knew that, so they chased her down so they could take her for their own!"

Gasps sounded at Varric's 'menacing' tone, not knowing he lived for those faces. Sehira played along, although she couldn't hide the crinkles at her eyes or the small giggles under her hand. He spared a quick wink to her direction as he continued on.

Continued to talk about her white curls and olive skin, her height that was second to her baby brother, her first name; Lilian, the love she had for her family and friends.

He let himself be somber for the lose of a sister, heading to Kirkwall on a rickety boat with a hating family.

He embellished the Deep Roads expedition, the lyrium idol and the rock wraith and a certain dragon they met.

The Qunari Invasion. Templars. Mages. Some random night in the Hanged Man.

Sehira wasn't sure if it was the ale talking, but sometimes it sounded like Varric was the one in awe of the Champion instead of the other way round.

At the end of the tale, the drunk soldiers and sisters left with a crash and wobble, leaving the tavern worse for wear and leaving Sehira and Varric alone in silence. Sehira still had her grin on her face, mostly because she knew she had caught another lie in his story.

"You still know where she is."

"You wound me, Freckles. Why would I have any reason of lying to you?"

She scoffed, taking another swig of ale. It was disgustingly warm but she needed to be extra drunk for the moment rather than the mild buzzing she already had.

"You have so much loyalty for her, it's sweet. I don't expect you to tell me, because I have no right and I'm probably overstepping my limits. But that's what alcohol is for, to make me regret my words and to make people around me uncomfortable. You and her, her and you…" She wiggled her eyebrows with the stupid grin still on her face. Varric didn't miss a beat however, smiling right through her with a small chuckle.

"You're incredibly drunk right now. It would be funny for those men to see their Herald tits up, but tonight is not that night."

Sehira had to rest her head against the table as the buzzing in her head was getting worse.

"You didn't say no."

She saw Varric begin to leave but she couldn't care a less, only mumbling a slurred 'thank you' with slack lips. She was just mentally preparing for the hell of a hangover she would get tomorrow. And maybe waking up with her horns stuck in the wood again.

 _Great way to end the day, at the mercy of whoever sees me first in the morning… meh._


End file.
